1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a soldering apparatus, or more specifically a printed circuit board (PCB) soldering apparatus. The present invention attempts to improve upon prior art soldering apparatus by allowing a faster loading speed, or a shorter PCB loading and soldering cycle time—i.e. the present invention provides a quick-loading or quick-cycling soldering apparatus.
The area of application for the present invention is preferably in low volume soldering situations, i.e. where manual or only semi-automated loading of components, onto a blank PCB are carried out. It is particularly suitable for dip, wave or jet soldering apparatus where solder is applied to leads of PCB components from below the PCB, such as in WO2009/027651.
2. Description of the Related Art
Low-volume soldering apparatus in which electronic components of a PCB are soldered onto the board are well known. In those prior art arrangements, a blank PCB is loaded, typically by hand, with electronics components such that the leads of the components poke through the holes in the PCB. That loaded, but unsoldered, PCB is then carried from the loading table to an available soldering apparatus. While that loading was taking place, an earlier-loaded PCB might have been being soldered by that same apparatus, so the soldering of that earlier PCB must first be completed, and the then soldered PCB must then be removed to render the soldering apparatus available for receiving the newly loaded PCB. This results in a slow cycle time. It is also presents the possible problem of components wobbling on the PCB during transit to the soldering apparatus since the PCB must be carried thereto.
Attempts to address this problem have been made in the more automated systems of the art. As such, automated PCB soldering apparatus in which PCB components are soldered while others are pre-loaded in preparation for soldering are also known in the art. Such soldering apparatus are typically high volume arrangements involving robotics, with an in-line arrangement having a loading station, a soldering apparatus and an unloading station. The various stations are therefore dedicated to the performance of a production step in the manufacturing process of a PCB. Loading, soldering and off-loading may be performed by an operator manually, but it is typically partially or fully automated so as to make it suitable for large scale production of PCBs.
The present invention, however, attempts to improve low-volume soldering apparatus, although its solution might equally improve automated, high or higher volume soldering apparatus.